Why These 10 Harry Potter Actors Were Perfectly Cast

The magnitude of J.K Rowling’s Wizarding World was huge from the get-go, so translating that magic at scale into the movies was a daunting task. The most important aspect was casting, and some spot-on casting was why the enchanting world of Harry Potter was able to come to life for fans to experience and enjoy.

The who’s who of British cinema made it into the cast of Harry Potter along with young actors who had little to no prior experience, which somehow worked in favor of the behemoth franchise. The casting choices for some of the characters were simply perfect, and fans got to see the very best live-action version of their beloved book characters.

Dame Maggie Smith As Professor McGonagall

The veteran star’s performance has been unanimously lauded in the movies because she embodied the wisdom and grace that Minerva McGonagall had in the books. The confidence and grit that the Transfiguration teacher displayed through her classes and even great wizarding wars were performed to perfection by Dame Maggie Smith.

McGonagall had a soft spot for some students and parents, but she also had a fire within her, which is the type of role that Smith excels at. The mix of sternness and kindness could not have been achieved by any other.

Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange

In a rare occurrence for the films, Helena Bonham Carter made her book character even better with her wild and unpredictable performance as the dark witch. Bellatrix Lestrange did the worst things, but with a manic joy and schadenfreude that no one but Carter could have translated to the screen.

In the Harry Potter reunion, it was mentioned several times that Carter improvised a lot of her scenes as Lestrange, which meant that so much of the madness that she brought to the character was unscripted and entirely her own. It was hard to take your eyes off of her in the movies; her erratic and gleefully murderous performance made sure of that.

Rupert Grint As Ron Weasley

Rupert Grint was a mere child of eleven years old when he was cast as Ron Weasley, and he had had no prior acting experience before the Harry Potter movies. It’s safe to say that most of the child actors were cast on two criteria: that they looked like their character, and/or were naturally like them in personality, which was definitely the case with Grint.

Grint’s uncanny likeness to Ron Weasley was specified many times during the reunion event because he not only looked like Ron but had the same traits and personality as him too. Therefore, it was easy for him to portray Ron’s worst fears in the books, his likes, dislikes, and quirks because he was basically his counterpart.

Alan Rickman As Professor Snape

The late Alan Rickman was technically a bit older than the Severus Snape of the books, but fans believe that the part was tailor-made for Rickman, with his deep and nuanced iteration of the Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

The subtle facial cues, the quietly menacing aura, the wistful longing for his dead love, and the sudden outbursts of fury that would come out of nowhere were exactly what the character needed on screen, and his perfect delivery of Snape’s best quotes from the series has a legacy of its own.

Jason Isaacs As Lucius Malfoy

Known for his villainous portrayals as Captain Hook in Peter Pan, and Colonel William Tavington in The Patriot, it was almost a given that Jason Isaacs would be a great Lucius Malfoy. He surpassed all expectations when he physically transformed into the Malfoy patriarch and sneered with all the cruelty needed for the character.

In fact, Isaacs’ mean portrayal was so realistic that he would often apologize to Tom Felton after takes, as seen in the HBO Max event. He embodied the elitist tendencies of Lucius Malfoy with searing precision.

Tom Felton As Draco Malfoy

At first sight, Tom Felton only seemed like a spitting image of Draco’s description in the book, and his scathing remarks seemed like childish banter, but as Felton grew with his character, he was able to add the needed depth and inner struggle that Draco went through as the son of a dark wizard.

He was by no means one-dimensional, and Felton’s performance in The Half Blood Prince was nothing short of astounding. Draco could be called a coward, a misunderstood teen, or just plain evil, and audiences got to see all sides on screen.

Robbie Coltrane As Rubeus Hagrid

Robbie Coltrane considers his role as the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, a part of his legacy, and he couldn’t be more right. He portrayed the role of the gentle giant with the perfect amount of care, warmth, and even anger when required, and J.K Rowling herself admitted in an interview with the Machester Evening News, quoted on The Leaky Couldron, that he was the first actor that came to her mind when she thought of the animal-loving professor.

He managed to show every side of Hagrid’s personality – the father figure, the friend, the empath, the fighter for good, and even the eccentric side which had no self preservation skills.

Evanna Lynch As Luna Lovegood

The casting of Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood was almost prophetic, as the actress spoke to The Irish Times about how she personally identified with the oddball traits of Lovegood when reading the books because of her own personal struggles. She started corresponding with Rowling through letters, and when the time came, she auditioned for her favorite character.

On paper, Luna was hard to understand and even imagine, with her strange traits, but Lynch managed to portray the character in such a way that fans fell in love all over again and help new viewers understand who she really was. Everything from her intonation to her gait was just perfect.

Christian Coulson As Tom Riddle

A surprise fan favorite is Christian Coulson, the actor who played young Tom Riddle in The Chamber of Secrets. Playing teenage Lord Voldemort on the cusp of great evil was no small feat but Coulson pulled it off even with limited dialogue through perfect delivery and subtle body language.

He still retained some of the innocence that was waning from Riddle’s countenance and brought forth the beginnings of wickedness and cruelty when he went about silently collecting information about horcruxes and punishing his schoolmates.

Richard Harris As Albus Dumbledore

The first casting choice for Dumbledore was the amazing Richard Harris, whom fans had the privilege of watching for two movies before he passed away. While Michael Gambon brought forth the grittiness in the character, Harris depicted the gentle power that Dumbledore wielded which made students respect but also love him.

He brought to life the book version of the great wizard, with large parts of the audience agreeing that he was exactly how they had imagined the greatest wizard alive to be.

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